Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the extra 1,000 UK troops for Estonia announced by the Government at the 2022 NATO Madrid Summit will include reservists.

At the NATO Madrid summit the UK offered a number of contributions to NATO’s strengthened defence posture. We did not announce an extra 1,000 troops for Estonia, rather that we will allocate the balance of a full combat brigade held at high readiness for rapid reinforcement across Estonia and the Baltic region, as required by SACEUR. Reservists make an important contribution to our operational force generation mechanism and will make up a critical element of any deployment. Due to the rotational nature of forces held at high readiness, the exact number will change with each rotation. Additionally, the UK is making a substantial contribution to the Alliance’s New Force Model. We are significantly increasing the availability of UK forces to NATO so it can plan for all eventualities; this will include almost all of our Maritime forces, extra Fighter Air Squadrons and an increased number of Land Brigade-sized units. These forces will be comprised of both Regulars and Reservists, but the exact composition is yet to be determined.